• 2023 Elections: Fresh trouble hits Atiku over anti-Yoruba, Igbo comment
• Nigeria’s hunger level ‘serious,’ ranks 103 out of 121 countries
• Lagos records four murder cases in one week – Police
• Publish names of perpetrators of oil theft or face legal action, SERAP tells Buhari
• Kaduna rakes in over $ 4.4b investment, creates 75,750 jobs in 7yrs

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

2023 Elections: Fresh trouble hits Atiku over anti-Yoruba, Igbo comment

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, has come under fire for urging Northerners to support him in the 2023 election because he is a northerner.

In reference to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, all of whom are Yoruba or Igbo, Atiku made the following statement at an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna on Saturday.

“What the typical Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the North and also knows that area of the country and has been able to develop bridges throughout the country,” the PDP flag bearer said.

“The Northerner needs something like this. A Yoruba or Igbo candidate is not required.”

In a widely shared video, the former vice president said, “I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern ancestry.”

However, the APC, the LP, the New Nigeria People’s Party, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, the leading Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and civil society organizations have all strongly condemned his comment.

This is taking place against the backdrop of the PDP crisis, which has led to the resignation of five governors and a sizable number of PDP members from the Southern bloc from Atiku’s campaign committee.

There are allegations that the former vice president may have violated Section 97 of the Electoral Act with his statement on Saturday.

“A candidate, person, or association that engages in campaigning or broadcasting based on religious, tribal, or sectional reasons to promote or oppose a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate, commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to (a) a maximum fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both, and (b) in the case of a political party, to a maximum of N10m,” the section reads.

Despite presenting himself as a pan-Nigerian candidate, Atiku was criticized on Sunday for prior activities that raised questions about his position on important national issues.

In May, Atiku caused a commotion when he took down a tweet and Facebook post that condemned the murder of Deborah Samuel, a student at Shehu Shagari College of Education, who was allegedly killed for making anti-Muslim remarks.

Atiku quickly removed the tweet, alleging it was done without his permission, after receiving a deluge of threats from northerners asking him to abandon his presidential aspirations for criticizing Samuel’s death.

Nigeria’s hunger level ‘serious,’ ranks 103 out of 121 countries

According to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, Nigeria is ranked 103 out of 121 nations, indicating that the country “has a level of hunger that is serious.”

On Friday, the German-based Welthungerhilfe and the Irish-based Concern Worldwide jointly released the Global Hunger Index.

Nigeria had a score of 27.3 in the study’s “severity” rankings, placing it in the “severe” category for hunger.

Each nation is categorized into one of five hunger levels according to the index: low, moderate, serious, alarming, and extremely alarming.

Nigeria’s position on the scale hasn’t changed for the past two years in a row. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, was placed 98 out of 107 countries in 2020 and 103 out of 116 in 2021.

Lagos records four murder cases in one week – Police

According to the police in Lagos, four murder cases were reported and documented across the state during the course of the previous seven days.

Benjamin Hundeyin, a Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Lagos, confirmed the event to reporters on Saturday.

Four people, according to Mr. Hundeyin, were detained in relation to the cases.

He claimed that one of the incidents took place on October 8 in the Elemoro neighborhood and involved a 28-year-old Legion member named Patrick Kelvin who is accused of fatally stabbing an unidentified victim.

According to Mr. Hundeyin, the suspect worked as a security guard at a gas station near the Gulf bus stop in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

He said that the occurrence took place amid a fight between the deceased and the suspect over the latter’s suspected damage to the fuel iron guard at the station.

Detectives from the Elemoro Division reportedly attended the location and took pictures of the occurrence, according to Mr. Hundeyin.

He said that the body of the victim had been taken to the morgue at Epe General Hospital so that an autopsy could be done.

He stated that the suspect had been held while the inquiry was carried out.

According to the PPRO, another murder case involving Isaac Akpan, 35, who is accused of fatally stabbing his neighbor Godwin Otto during a dispute, was reported on 10 October in the Ajah neighborhood.

According to Mr. Hundeyin, the suspect was escorted to the Ajah Police division by a group of individuals to file a report.

He said that while the investigation was going on, detectives from Ajah went to the scene and took the body to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) mortuary in Yaba so it could be examined.

However, the spokeswoman applauded those who delivered the subject to the police without using force.

According to Mr. Hundeyin, on October 9 at around 5.30 p.m., the Isokoko Police Division received a report from a woman stating that her five-year-old son had been missing since October 8.

According to him, an enraged crowd chased one Elikana Lawrence to the station with the intention of lynching him as the woman was voicing her complaint.

According to the PPRO, the suspect is suspected of killing a youngster in his room in the Isokoko neighborhood.

“The on-duty men saved the suspect and took him into custody after receiving the report.

Detectives arrived and took pictures of the scene.

“The body of the missing youngster, with the throat lacerated, was discovered in a canal. The perpetrator admitted to the crime.

He stated, “The body has been removed and put at IDH Moutuary Yaba for autopsy.”

According to the spokeswoman, the Divisional Police Officer in Ikoyi received word of the most recent murder on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Desmond Gyudu, 25, a security guard with a private security firm connected to a home in Ikoyi, was brought, according to him.

According to Mr. Hundeyin, the report stated that on October 10 at approximately 11.30 p.m., the aforementioned suspect reportedly struck one Hakeem Nuhu, a 26-year-old water truck motor boy, on the face during a confrontation.

According to him, the victim was rendered unconscious and taken to the police hospital in Falomo, where he eventually passed away on October 11 at around 7.30 a.m.

“A team of investigators went to the scene based on the report. At the hospital, the corpse was also examined and captured on camera.

“The body was removed and taken to the Federal Medical Center’s Ebute-Metta mortuary for an autopsy.

“The suspect has been detained, and an investigation is ongoing,” the spokeswoman said.

Publish names of perpetrators of oil theft or face legal action, SERAP tells Buhari

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly set up a presidential panel of inquiry to thoroughly, impartially, and transparently investigate the operations of illegal oil pipelines from 2001 to the present, and to widely publish the names of anyone suspected of being involved.

They have also asked for a promise that the right anti-corruption agencies will prosecute anyone suspected of stealing the country’s oil wealth and that all stolen money will be returned in full.

Additionally, SERAP advised him to “promptly authorize the examination of reports of the destruction of an oil bunkering vessel by security forces and to guarantee that suspected owners of the vessel are identified, named, and brought to justice.”

Following recent indications that two illicit pipes connected to the 48-inch Trans Forcados Export Trunk line and used to steal the nation’s oil wealth from Forcados Terminal had been discovered, SERAP wrote the letter.

The organization claimed in an open letter dated October 15, 2022, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare that “poor and socioeconomically disadvantaged Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the theft of the country’s oil resources”

According to SERAP, “For the sake of the present and future generations, your government has a legal obligation to ensure that the country’s oil riches are used purely for the benefit of the Nigerian people and do not wind up in private wallets.”

The letter stated, in part, that despite the country’s significant oil riches, previous administrations mostly wasted the chance to use the income to enhance the lives and well-being of ordinary Nigerians. The government has committed a blatant breach of its anti-corruption and human rights commitments.

“We appreciate it if the suggested actions are carried out within 14 days of the letter’s receipt and/or publishing. If by then we have not heard from you, SERAP will take all necessary legal steps to compel your government to abide by our request in the interest of the public.

“SERAP urges you to take into consideration referring the reports to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court [ICC] to investigate whether the country’s alleged oil thefts constitute crimes against humanity subject to ICC jurisdiction and to surrender all suspected offenders for ICC trial,” the statement reads.

“SERAP is concerned that the illegal pipelines have been operating for many years without notice, implying a flagrant violation of constitutional and international obligations to ensure the proper, effective, and efficient management of the country’s wealth and natural resources.”

“It is in the public interest to promptly investigate the discovery of the illegal pipelines, publish the names of those suspected to be involved, and ensure that they are brought to justice and that any proceeds of crime are fully recovered.”

“Taking these steps would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation, and guarantee of non-repetition and improve public confidence in the fight against corruption and related crimes, especially in the oil sector.”

Kaduna rakes in over $ 4.4b investment, creates 75,750 jobs in 7yrs

Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State says that over the past seven years, the Kaduna State Government has drawn a total investment portfolio of $4,488,000, which includes projects that have been completed and projects that have been announced. This has led to 75,750 direct and indirect jobs.

The governor of the state stated, “The state government has also been providing the conducive environment for the private sector to drive the economy by embarking on numerous policy actions and reforms, including the hosting of the annual Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit(KadInvest) since 2016.” The governor was speaking in Kaduna on Saturday at the 7th edition of the investment Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KadInvest 7.0), which began on Thursday.

El Rufai, who gave an overview of the accomplishments made by his administration since taking office, cited Kaduna state’s wealth of natural resources, productive workforce, steady economic growth, and position as the entryway to the northern market as reasons why investors should consider making investments there.

According to the World Bank’s 2018 Ease of Doing Business Subnational Report, Kaduna State is also the state with the most improvement, and it has a very welcoming climate for investors.

El Rufai added that the state “has 52% of Nigeria’s consumer market” and “is also the third greatest consumer market in Nigeria, the third most populous state in Nigeria.”

He went on to say that the state of Kaduna also has about 25 non-oil mineral reserves, such as marble, gold, and iron ore.

The governor also enumerated some of the main successes of his government, which include raking in N52 billion as Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) last year, noting that IGR was N11 billion in 2015 when he started office.

El Rufai added that the renovated Murtala Muhammed Square was put into service this year because it now features top-notch sporting facilities, retail outlets, dining establishments, and a variety of recreation amenities.

He remembered that during President Muhammadu Buhari’s state visit in January, some road projects of the urban revitalization initiative within the Kafanchan Municipal Authority and Zaria were started.

The Infectious Disease Center in Mando is located along the Lokoja Road, Rigasa, LGEA Primary School. The president officially opened the Aliyu Makama Road in Barnawa, the Leventis Underpass, the new Kawo-fly over bridge, which includes dual carriageway, three ground rotaries, and more.

The governor announced that “KDSG has given private investors control of Zaria Pharmaceuticals, which will make syringes, intravenous fluids, and specimen vials.” In addition to the 200 direct jobs, the redesigned business is expected to create more than 1,000 indirect jobs.

This year, the CoLab Innovation Campus was chosen as the Technology City’s cornerstone tenant at Barnawa. He said the AMA Medical manufacturing facility, a facility designed to provide intravenous fluids, was also put into operation.

He said that the first of three planned distribution hubs in the state, Pambegua, was where Zipline’s operations for delivering medical supplies right away to healthcare facilities were started.

“KDSG inked a technical and managerial service agreement with Doctors Clinic Company of the United Arab Emirates on the 300-bed hospital,” El Rufai added.

It also made a deal with Elekta to buy supplies for the nuclear medicine and cancer center at the hospital. This will increase the nation’s ability to treat cancer, he continued

The governor explained that the “Building a Resilient Economy” topic of KadInvest 7.0 is justified by the need for government innovation, particularly “in the wake of the global economic slowdown and to sustain reforms into the next Administration.”

El Rufai says that in order for governments to be able to handle periodic crises, they must “start to innovate, become more resistant to global economic shocks, and start to use their comparative advantages to increase income and job creation within their own borders.”